Some Calgarians have expressed concern that citywide rezoning would impact their ability to apply for property tax assistance through the City of Calgary.

That’s not the case, according to the City.

The matter was first brought to the attention of LWC after Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek met with community association representatives last week. There she was asked about the potential property tax impact of citywide rezoning, including the property tax assistance program, according to attendees.

When LWC first approached the City of Calgary with questions on the topic, the website for property tax assistance outlined an ineligibility criterion.

That has since been changed to “owner-initiated zoning change” on the City of Calgary website. The City indicated they would be making the change on their webpage.

“The citywide rezoning will not disqualify any property from the Property Tax Assistance Program,” read an emailed response to questions.

“The criteria on the webpage refers to situations where property owners, on their own initiative, apply and receive a change in land use.”

The City of Calgary said that in 2023, 15,443 people applied for property tax assistance. In 2024, that number jumped to 19,087.

“Referrals to this assistance program are reviewed on an individual basis,” the city responses read.

“An example of a zoning change that would impact the property tax assistance program eligibility would involve an owner-initiated change from a residential land use to commercial land use that results in a value increase.

The City said that no application has been or will be declined based on the citywide zoning change.

Land value impact of citywide rezoning

In a previous long-read piece done by LWC on the potential impact of citywide rezoning, researcher Yonah Freemark said that most current research shows land values increase due to upzoning.

He said it’s largely due to the market factoring in the development potential of a certain site. There’s also the potential for future commercial sites nearby the upzoned areas. Further, the land value appreciation would be greater in areas where the market conditions were favourable.

The City of Calgary, as it has for a little over a quarter of a century, does a market value assessment every July 1 to determine citywide property values. It’s unclear at this point what impact citywide rezoning had on the most current market value assessments.

The most recent assessment saw residential properties, on average, jump 15 per cent, with many reports of substantially larger increases. Calgary’s citywide rezoning, while officially in place in August 2024, was approved by Calgary city council in May 2024. It was nearly two months before the properties were assessed.

The decision may not have had the time to filter down into the resale market, but the City of Calgary said it’s keeping an eye on it.

“The City uses market data, generally sales of similar properties, to determine market value-based assessments,” they wrote.

“Whether the citywide rezoning causes changes in values will be something we monitor over the next few years.”

Applications for the Property Tax Assistance Program open on June 1 and applications must be submitted by Dec. 31, 2025.